Maryville University President Mark Lombardi, PhD, has announced April Santos as director of human resources. Santos, who began her position August 6, brings to the University a wealth of experience in recruitment and personnel management from myriad industries.

“Maryville’s enrollment has more than doubled in the last decade, and our need for faculty and staff is ever expanding,” Lombardi said. “With her professional focus on diversity and inclusion and her expertise in recruitment initiatives for diverse employees, April Santos has the right experience and skills to help us recruit and retain outstanding employees to best serve our students.”

“An organization on the rise must have an invigorated and high-quality employee base, and I look forward to expanding and supporting the team of excellent faculty and staff at Maryville.”
~ Santos

Santos is responsible for talent acquisition, new employee onboarding, retention and compliance.

“I’m excited to join Maryville as it continues to grow and innovate in the higher education space,” Santos said. “An organization on the rise must have an invigorated and high-quality employee base, and I look forward to expanding and supporting the team of excellent faculty and staff at Maryville.”

Most recently, Santos was manager of talent services for the BJC Healthcare System, where she managed and improved processes, ensured compliance, and used data analytics to manage the onboarding process and implement efficiencies to create meaningful onboarding experiences for new employees.

Santos also held human resources positions at the Federal Reserve Bank, the Missouri Department of Transportation and Harrah’s Hotel and Casino. She also founded and managed a successful early childhood center.

Santos earned a bachelor’s in communication from California State University and an MBA at Lindenwood University, and she holds Senior in Professional Human Resources certification (SPHR). She is a fellow in the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative leadership program, an active member of the Young Professional League for Epworth Children’s Home, and she participates with the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources.